Yes, I believe I called Monkey in the Middle “Mr. Football” not too long ago.
However, it appears that we have a bit of an all-season sports guy on our hands. He played fall soccer, plays football with Daddy every day, and tomorrow, he starts basketball.
Tonight was the annual Dinner and Sports Night at my school. It begins at 6 and from 6-6:30, there is a pasta dinner for the kids and their parents. (You can’t get in unless you are accompanied by an adult.) Then, at 6:30, we move from the cafeteria down to the two gyms. In gym #1 is the Student/Faculty Basketball game. In gym #2 is the Student/Faculty Volleyball game (there are two nets up, so two matches going on at a time in the volleyball gym.)
This is a really special event at our school, and we get a great cross-section of kids participating. My friend, Tara, and I work the basketball scoreboard, so we always get to see the basketball game. The teachers play hard and there is no “letting” the kids win. In the 6 years I’ve been there, the kids have won a few and the teachers have won a few. Each win is meaningful because it is definitely earned. Same goes for volleyball. Last year, one of our 8th grade math teachers was playing volleyball, came down wrong on his ankle and severed his Achilles tendon and was out of work for a few months while he underwent and recovered from surgery. Again, I say, the teachers play hard.
Anyway, Real Man had to be at work until late tonight, so I brought the monkeys with me. They had a great time and were extremely well-behaved. Real Man got there around 7:15 and was going to take the monkeys home. Monkey Girl and Baby Monkey were more than happy to, but Monkey in the Middle looked at me and said “I want to stay here with you!”
Of course, I said yes.
So, he moved his seat, so he was right in between Tara and I.
Have I mentioned how much my monkeys love Tara? She has babysat for them a few times, and comes over for play stuff, and has gone on walks with the monkeys and I. The monkeys are the founders and official members of the Tara fan club. Her being there tonight was big stuff, and there were some heated negotiations between the monkeys over how to take turns sitting next to Tara.
But I digress…
Anyway, he sat between us and I let him work the clock. He cheered and cheered for the teachers and kept giving Tara and I updates on the score, despite the fact that we were the ones updating the scoreboard. He absolutely loved it. We need to get this kid to some professional games. Don’t really think it matters what sport.
At half time, we had a foul shot shooting contest. The prize was this really cool, solid basketball hoop and child sized ball. So, one of our students was on fire and was making basket after basket. He won. After that, he came over and someone tossed him the ball and said, “Hey…you won!” He said, “I’ll come back, cuz I’m still playing.” and off he went to continue playing.
As the second half went on, Monkey in the Middle was playing with the ball, bouncing it on the bleachers. He just held on to that ball.
When the game ended, the student was talking to some other guys near where we were sitting, and Monkey in the Middle was bouncing the ball. I said, “Sweetie, give him the ball…it’s his prize.” The boy turned and tossed it back to Monkey in the Middle and said, “It’s okay…he can have it.” I said, “I don’t think you understand…you didn’t just win the ball…you won the net, too!’ He said, “Oh, I know…but he can have it…he’ll probably use it more than I would.” Monkey in the Middle immediately said “Thank you,” and started shooting the ball at the hoop.
Don’t ever let anyone bad mouth middle school kids. I honestly believe that they are the best kids around. Trust me, I wouldn’t have spent the last 15 years teaching them if I didn’t truly believe that.
So, as parents left with their kids, the teachers cleaned up, and Monkey in the Middle started shooting his new ball at the big hoop.
This little tiny guy and this tall hoop, so high.
For 40 minutes, he shot that basketball at that net.
He made about 7 baskets, but every other shot, with the exception of a few, were near misses. Hitting the rim, hitting the backboard… He’s really pretty good…we were impressed. 🙂
We were finally ready to leave and Monkey in the Middle turns to me and says, “Hey…that boy forgot his net.” I said, “No sweetie, he gave it to you!” He said, “I thought he just gave me the ball!” I said, “Nope…it’s all yours.” The smile was a megawatt smile.
So, here he is with his new ball and hoop. I had to do some fancy business with the seats in order to fit it in the van, but home it went.
We decided to put it in the exercise room (lest you think I have a gym in my house, it’s just a room with my treadmill and Real Man’s recumbent bike) and make a little basketball corner for him. He is absolutely thrilled because his Little Tykes basketball net is on the deck and isn’t really available to him in the winter. Now, he’s all set for basketball all winter.
The exercise room is right off of our bedroom, and the last thing that Monkey Boy said to us before he went to bed tonight was, “I’m gonna get up really early to play basketball. But don’t worry…I’ll close the door.”
I could just eat him up.
